Introduction to the history of the book in California and an exploration of classic Western Americana. Topics will include 1) the bibliography and bibliographers of the Golden West with profiles of Robert E. Cowan, Henry R. Wagner, J. Frank Dobie, Carl I. Wheat, Lawrence Clark Powell, and others; 2) The Zamorano 80 (the most famous list of the important books of the West), Zamorano Select, Dawson 80, Washington 89, Arizona 50, and noteworthy auction catalogs; 3) The making of a Gold Rush bibliography and bibliography of Western gold rushes; 4) Great illustrated books from George Catlin to Mallette Dean and Paul Landacre; 5) The Nineteenth Century book trade with a look at pioneer printing, publishing, and bookselling and early library formation and reading in the West; 6) California Bohemians; and 7) fine press books and bibliophilic organizations.

California Rare Book School is a continuing education program dedicated to providing the knowledge and skills required by professionals working in all aspects of the rare book community, and for students interested in entering the field.

Founded in 2005, CalRBS is a project of the Department of Information Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. CalRBS is supported by an informal consortium of many of the academic and research libraries and antiquarian booksellers of Southern California.